Pavarotti to make global concert tour

Luciano Pavarotti

It will be the must-have hottest ticket of the decade. Because when the fat man sings his last note, it will, once and for all, be over.

Luciano Pavarotti, the great Italian tenor who retired from the opera stage earlier this year, has confirmed that he is embarking on a final, 40-date global concert tour during which he will sing in front of a total of more than 500,000 people.

The tour, in which Pavarotti will appear in many of the world's major cities as well as places he has never visited before, will include three dates in the United Kingdom, one of which will be a climatic farewell to London. The venue has not been decided, but it is likely to be at the Royal Albert Hall or the Royal Opera House.

The schedule for the tour has not yet been completely finalised and Pavarotti only signed the deal with promoter Harvey Goldsmith earlier this week. Although demand for tickets is expected to be huge, Pavarotti has insisted that a high proportion of prices are kept at sensible levels. "

Although Pavarotti has previously said that he intended to sing his last note publicly on his 70th birthday, October 12th 2005, the tour's itinerary will take him past that date into early 2006, climaxing in three final concerts in London, New York and Italy, possibly in Milan, although the precise sequence of venues and dates is still to be decided. "Pavarotti has always considered London to be extremely important to him, so it is appropriate that one of the very last concerts will be held here," said Ms Robson, adding: "But he is not like a rock star and performs every night. He does maybe three or four a month, which is why the tour will take so long."

The other British performances will be somewhere in England but outside London - probably in one of the 'Royal residences' hinted Ms Robson - and one in Scotland. He will also perform in Dublin. "Harvey is anxious to avoid conventional concert arenas and put Pavarotti on in interesting venues," she added.

The tour will be filmed for a documentary and will be followed by the singer's autobiography, certain to be eagerly awaited by his fans. "We are in discussion with several international publishing houses in order to secure the right kind of deal, " said Ms Robson.

The end of Pavarotti's performing career will be a hugely significant moment in the classical music world. With over 100 million albums sold, Pavarotti is the most successful classical artist in the history of the recording industry and popularised opera in the Three Tenors concerts with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras.

His final opera performance was Puccini's Tosca in March this year at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, when he received an 11-minute standing ovation.

In an interview with Reuters yesterday Pavarotti said: "It is exactly 43 years I have been going around here and there. Sometimes I don't know which bed I am waking up in." He said that he was not sure when the tour would end: "I don't know. When they are finished, I am finished."

Asked which song would be his final performance, he said: "If you end like you begin, then I would say La Boheme. It is my first love. But there is Nessun Dorma which is almost a trademark. I was very lucky in my life. I always chose masterpieces." He added: "I would very much like to be remembered as a very serious opera singer."

- INDEPENDENT